Palace rejects calls for PNoy to overhaul legal team

Malacañang on Thursday junked again suggestions to overhaul the presidential legal team after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled as unconstitutional President Benigno Simeon Aquino III's Executive Order No. 1 creating the Truth Commission. In a radio interview, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. maintained that Aquino still trusts his legal team. A revamp "is the opinion of our critics. But that is not the opinion of our president," Coloma said in an interview aired over dzXL radio. Calls for a revamp of the presidential legal team came after the SC on Tuesday ruled as unconstitutional Aquino's EO 1 as it "violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution" by focusing on the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In a separate interview on GMA Network's Unang Balita, Coloma maintained that Aquino fully supports Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. Several individuals have called for Ochoa's resignation, including former Executive Secretary Ernesto Maceda, also former Senate President. "Hindi po ako sumasang-ayon sa mga sinabi ni Manong Ernie (Maceda)... buung-buo po ang tiwala ng ating pangulo kay Executive Secretary Ochoa," Coloma said.

Maceda, in an interview with Unang Balita on Thursday, said the position of the Executive Secretary, also called the Little President, is the most powerful in the Cabinet. Maceda said the Executive Secretary is the principal adviser of the president especially in legal matters. He lamented many have criticized the performance of Ochoa, who has so far served for less than six months. Maceda said the criticisms being hurled against Ochoa include:

the SC ruling that found E.O. No. 1 as unconstitutional;

the E.O. on midnight appointees;

"faulty" list of amnesty beneficiaries, among others.
Critics said the so-called boo-boos of Aquino's legal panel dated back to his first day in office when the Palace issued Memorandum Circular 1 (MC 1) onJune 30. MC 1 declared all non-career executive service positions vacant. However, it had to be recalled and "fine-tuned" to specify who among the non-career executives should go. SC decision In the meantime, Coloma said the SC's decision has not diminished Aquino's determination to get to the bottom of alleged abuses under the administration of his predecessor. "Nothing can stop Aquino's resolved to provide justice and closure to the anomalies under the past regime," Coloma said. The Truth Commission is the body tasked to investigate the alleged corruption and cheating scandals that hounded the nine-year Arroyo administration. The commission is headed by former SC Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. Review of options In the same radio interview, Coloma said Aquino's legal team started reviewing the Palace's options Wednesday night after receiving a copy of the high court's decision junking EO 1. "Ang official decision natanggap lang kagabi. Maraming separate concurring and dissenting opinion. Hihimayin natin yan, pag-aaralan ng legal panel para matiyak kung ano ang pinakamainam na option na maaring tahakin," he said. (We received the official decision Wednesday night. There are several concurring and dissenting opinions and we will study them all to determine the best option to take.) He said the Palace is aware that the Filipino people are waiting for justice over alleged abuses under the Arroyo administration. Coloma also said it is not enough that the alleged abuses had been investigated by Congress. "The bottom line for the Truth Commission is to discover the truth. In the past, our approach had been by installment. Congressional investigations are not enough because these are done in aid of legislation," he said. He said the Department of Justice (DOJ) can no longer handle the possible cases the Truth Commission might file over alleged scandals under the past regime. Bishop Cruz's suggestion Earlier, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz suggested that the Truth Commission should be placed under the DOJ, if Aquino really wants to prosecute alleged abuses in the last administration. Cruz said there will be no need for legislation as the body will have access to existing facilities and powers. “Since the very beginning I’ve always said that the so-called Truth Commission should be placed under the DOJ with a staff function," Cruz said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site. Cruz also joined those who called on Aquino to revamp the presidential legal team, saying that the president is in "dire need" of "more capable" advisers. Cruz also suggested that the Palace should expand the Truth Commission's powers to include anomalies in past administrations. “It must be clear that the Truth Commission will not only be after the prime suspect in the former administration but anybody who is accused of capital graft and corruption," said Cruz. — LBG/RSJ/VVP, GMANews.TV